Chicken Gyoza's (pot stickers)

I have to say that out of all of the dim sum I've gotten into cooking, these seem to be the most popular among family and friends. Actually a Japanese dish, they are a really nice alternative to the normal prawn crackers or ribs that you may usually indulge in, and very versatile. You can substitute the chicken for tofu (vegetarians/vegans) or perhaps use prawn or beef instead.

While commonly known as 'gyoza', you may have heard them under their pseudonym 'pot stickers'. This is because they are fried on one side and then turned over and cooked in a small amount of water, creating the crispy/sticky skins.

The gyoza skins can be found in most Asian food shops, even the smaller ones. Usually kept frozen:

Makes 8 dumplings (serve 2 pp)

1 tbspn vegetable oil, for cooking

2 dried mushrooms, pre-soaked (available in the supermarket, look for shiitake)
75g minced chicken
1 spring onion
1 garlic clove
1 tspn grated ginger
1 tspn toasted sesame oil
salt to taste

To serve:

Use a dipping sauce such as sweet chilli or scroll to the bottom for a special Gyoza dipping sauce.


Begin by chopping up all over the ingredients really small, including the ginger garlic, spring onion, mushrooms and chicken.

Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix together well. Only a pinch of salt is needed for those who so wish.

Now pour some water into a cup and keep it to one side. Take one of the gyoza skins, laying it out flat. Place around a teaspoon full of mixture (heaped) onto one of the skins. You will be folding the skin over in the middle so put it towards the top rather than in the middle.

Now, using your finger, dip it into the cup of water and gently wet the top half of the skin around the outside:

Now pick up the bottom half of the skin and press it flat against the top half, using your fingers to press down where the water is, holding it in place. Feel free to pick it up and do this as the skins are not very delicate, and sometimes it's easier to squash them together!

Now for the fancy bit we have to try and make it look like some kind of Asian mini Cornish pasty. Using your nimble thimbles, bunch the skin up together slightly at one end (see pic) and press down flat, creating a kind of layover.

Do this 4 or 5 times around the outside of the skin, and you will see your Asian pasty come into shape. Don't worry if it doesn't stay completely flat, sometimes it's just trial and error.

Now, heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and once hot, add the oil. You don't want to put in too much as you'll also be adding some water and as we all know, hot oil + water creates the big orange hot thing also known as fire, so err on the side of caution with this one.

Once the oil is hot, add the gyoza's side down into the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes or until a golden brown colour and slightly crispy. Once you've achieved this, turn the gyoza's over (tongs work best) and cook the other side for around 3 minutes.

To create the sticky side, you now need to add in some water. You can use up to a 1/4 of a glass, but do it a little at a time, otherwise you'll end up with no eyebrows. Once the water is in, whip on the lid (or use a big plate) and steam until the water has all been absorbed (takes less than a minute).

Serve immediately with some dipping sauce (see below).

NB I suggest if you're only serving gyoza's as an appetiser or starter you may want to make 3-4 per person so adjust the ingredients accordingly.

Gyoza Dipping Sauce

Serves 4

1 tspn rice vinegar (use sherry as an alternative)
1 tspn dark soy sauce
2 drops sesame oil

Combine the mixture and stir. Serve straight away.

Dim Sum: The 5 Tastes

Dim Sum is a great way to sample a few dishes if you're someone like me who can never decide what to have on the menu. A lot of Dim Sum is also very healthy as many of the dishes come steamed (for example dumplings), but of course for those who prefer food to watching waistlines you can be as naughty as you like.

I learnt how to cook some great dishes courtesy of the Angela Malik cookery school, with favourites including King Prawn Toasts, Spring Rolls and Stuffed Gyoza Dumplings, so all credit for my Dim Sum posts must go to Angela who was an excellent teacher and I would highly recommend (classes available in Cambridge and London).

Before I get started on the dishes, I want to share with you a few useful taste tips that I picked up.

The 5 Tastes

Different foods produce different flavours, and all of these can be defined in five tastes:

• Hot
• Salty
• Sweet
• Sour
• Bitter (Umami - comes from Japan)
  
  

These five elements may not always be exactly what you expect. For example, coriander is considered a 'hot' taste. Try chewing a leaf; the flavour is distinctive as coriander, but the feeling in your mouth produces a hot sensation. This goes for other herbs and leaves, for example rocket and watercress.

When deciding what flavours to put together in your recipes, there are different combinations of the five tastes that really work well together:

Hot + Sweet

Bitter + Sweet

Salt + Sour

Sweet + sour

The great thing about these combinations is that you can work them into any recipe whether Dim Sum, Indian (e.g. curry + chutney), British (roast beef + horseradish) or any cuisine you fancy - and even drinks (e.g. Margaritas with salt). If like me you are sometimes unsure of what flavours will work well together these are some great simple rules to adhere to.

Here are a few ideas of how to define certain foods, and I'm sure you will begin to understand these tastes as you go along.

Hot

• Herbs and leaves (rocket, coriander, watercress, mustard leaves)
• Spices (cayenne peper, paprike, red chilli, green chilli, pepper, coriander seeds)
  
• Condiments (mustards, horseradish, wasabi, ginger, galangal)

Salty

• Salted fish (anchovies, cod, dried squid, dried prawns)
• Smoked fish (smoked salmon, smoked tuna, smoked mackerel)
• Smoked meats (smoked ham, smoked beef, smoked pork)
• Cured meats (prosciutto, salami, chorizo)
• Natural and smoked cheeses (pecorino, feta, haloumi, parmesan)
  
  

Bitter

• Bitter leaves / salad leaves (dandelion, chicory, frisee lettuce, spinach)
• Berries (blackcurrants)
• Game birds and meats (venison, wild board, pigeon, wild duck)
• Condiments (soya sauce, miso, dark chocolate, red wine, vinegars)
• Umami flavours (Bovril, Marmite, MSG)

Sweet

• Roasted veg and nuts (beetroot, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, almonds, peanuts)
• Green veg (peas, broad beans, asparagus, cucumber)
• Ripe fruits and their juices (mangoes, bananas, nectarines, grapes, figs)
• Dried fruit (dates, apricots, sultanas, raisins)
• Seafood (clams, mussels, crab, lobster)
• Firm white-fleshed fish (monkfish, halibut, turbot, sea bream)
• Oily fish (fresh tuna, swordfish, salmon)
• Dairy products (cream cheese, mascapone, coconut milk)
• Sweeteners (honey, palm sugar, maple syrup)
• Herbs and spices (basil, cinnamon, allspice, saffron, nutmeg)

Sour

• Citrus (lemon juice, lemon zest, kaffir lime leaves and juice, lemongrass)
• Other fruits (tamarind, apples, gooseberries, rhubarb, pineapple)
• Dried fruits (cranberries, sour cherries)
• Unripe fruit and veg (green tomatoes, green olives, green mangoes)
• Herbs (tarragon, dill, fennel, mustard leaves, coriander)
• Dairy products (creme fraiche, sour cream, yoghurt)
• Vinegars (malt, sherry, red wine, white wine, cider, raspberry, balsamic)
• Pickles (chutneys, relishes, gherkins, pickled ginger, olives)
• Spices and seeds (fennel seeds, stair anise, juniper berries)
• Fermented spirits (Pernod, campari, gin)